


I'll Walk Beside You But You May Not See Me

by debarouchi



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bonding, Getting Together, Hale Family Feels, M/M, Sheriff Stilinski Finds Out About Werewolves, Stilinski Family Feels, derek and stiles met as kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-19
Updated: 2014-06-19
Packaged: 2018-02-05 08:11:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1811440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debarouchi/pseuds/debarouchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek gets hurt during a fight with the Alphas and while Stiles and Scott are searching for him, Stiles finds him in an unexpected location. But what is most shocking about it, is who the unexpected ally is that helped Derek. The Sheriff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Walk Beside You But You May Not See Me

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short little fic. I'd been wanting to do a fic where Sheriff and Derek bonded over the shared awareness of Stiles and his issues. 
> 
> Title taken from lyrics of Citizen Soldier - 3 Doors Down.

Stiles is distracted and in a hurry when he shoves his front door open. Until he sees his Dad standing in the hallway. Looking guilty. 

"You're not supposed to be home. Why are you home?"

"I thought you were staying at Scott's tonight."

"Don't avoid answering the question by asking me one. You can't get by me like that." Stiles is a little proud of his dad for using one of his own decoy tactics. 

"I finished early." Sheriff crosses his arms over his chest then seems to realize what he's done; he drops his arms to his sides. 

"Your cruiser isn't out front. Are you okay?" Stiles asks, worry overtaking his confusion. 

"Yeah. I'm fine. I really need to..."

Stiles eyes go wide as he sees his father glance towards the stairs. "Oh. My. God. Do you have someone up there?"

The Sheriff sighs, shoulders slumped. "Yes. Just not in the way you're thinking."

Stiles stares silently.

"Maybe you should sit down. I need to tell you something but you can't tell anyone about it. This is serious, Stiles."

Stiles stumbles to the living room and slumps in an armchair, waiting nervously for his dad to sit near him. "What is it?" 

"I know you're probably not going to believe me and I understand that you'll probably think I'm crazy, but you should know this. Your mom and I had some very good friends..." 

The sound of a wolf howl carries on the night air enough for Stiles’ trained ear to hear and his hopes sink. Scott's howl means they still haven't found Derek. His dad has gone silent, clearly aware that he's lost his son's attention. In the silence Stiles hears the broken off start of a howl, a lot closer than he would have expected. He frowns and unconsciously whispers under his breath. "Derek..." 

The Sheriff sits up straighter. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Oh God. I said nothing. Just ignore me."

"You should know better than to lie to me, Stiles. I want you to repeat what you said."

Stiles jumps to his feet, heading towards the stairs. He has to find Derek, he knows he can't be far away, but he needs to make sure Derek doesn't come to the house while his dad is home. "I'm sorry Dad but can we do this another time. Like tomorrow? I really need to grab a book from my room and get back to Scott's."

"Shit," Sheriff mutters. He hurries after Stiles and catches him just as he pushes open his bedroom door. "No! Don't go in there. Let me explain."

"Derek," Stiles breathes. He moves without thinking when he sees Derek's head slowly turn towards him, eyes clouded with pain.

"Stiles? Do you know Derek?"

Stiles stiffens, remembering his Dad's presence. He stands beside the bed, partially blocking the view of Derek. "I can explain."

"Explain what?" Sheriff asks, exasperated. 

"Explain why he's here. Why he must have come to my room."

"Stiles." Sheriff glances at Derek then narrows his eyes at Stiles. "I put him there. Why would you have any reason for Derek to be in your room?"

"What?" Stiles drops to the edge of the bed, letting his hand rest on Derek's ankle. "Why would you do that?" he asks, bewildered.

Derek moves into the touch and closes his eyes again. 

"I won't ask again. Do you know Derek Hale?" 

"Yes," Stiles says quietly. 

"Jesus." Sheriff sits at the desk. "Do you know what he is?"

"You know?" Stiles eyes widen. "Oh. My. God."

"How do you know, Stiles?" The Sheriff looks over at Derek then faces his son again. "Explanation. Now."

"Do you know how hard I've tried to keep this from you?" Stiles mutters. He drags a hand over his face. "I never wanted you to know. I thought you would be safe if you didn't know about Werewolves." 

"Protection is _my_ job, Son. As Sheriff and what is more important, as your father. You should have come to me."

"I didn't want to lie to you but it wasn't my secret to tell. And I didn't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt."

"You don't know that. You've got no idea what we've had to do to stay alive." Stiles covers his face with his hands. "I shouldn't have said that." 

The Sheriff moves over to kneel in front of Stiles. "If you were in danger you should have told me. Has Derek been protecting you?"

"I try to," Derek says quietly. He clears his throat and slowly sits up. "It's not always easy to do." 

"Now that I can agree with." 

"Hey," Stiles says, insulted. "I'm not that hard to keep track of."

The Sheriff and Derek both roll their eyes. Stiles glares at each of them. 

“Son,” Sheriff says, frustrated. “I need you to tell me how much you know.”

Stiles crosses his arms over his chest. “I need you to tell me why you’ve kept this a secret all my life.” 

“I told you, to protect you. Your mother and I were friends with the Hales before you were born.” 

“Why didn’t they ever tell me?” Derek asks, voice hoarse. Stiles put his hand back on Derek’s leg. 

“Your mother and my wife were the best of friends when they were younger. Your parents moved back here after their marriage and they reconnected.”

Stiles watches his father, taking a deep breath when the Sheriff seems to take a moment to collect his thoughts. 

“A few years after Derek was born, the Hales distanced themselves, they were worried about Claudia and her family getting hurt because of them.”

“So you’ve known what they were all along?” Stiles questions. He just can’t wrap his brain around the fact that his dad has known this along when he fought so hard to keep the truth hidden. 

“You make us sound like monsters,” Derek mutters. He gives a pained grunt as he rolls on to his side. “My parents must have trusted you a lot if you knew our family’s secret.” 

“At the same time as they were trying to push us away, there was an Omega in town; he took Claudia after he smelt werewolf scent on her. She was only just pregnant with Stiles at the time.”

Derek and Stiles meet each others eyes, shocked. 

“What happened to Mom? 

“I was terrified, I found her wrecked car and her blood. I went to Talia as it was not far from the Preserve and called it in from her house. I told her what happened and she snarled, and took off.” 

Derek’s gaze narrows. He unconsciously reaches out to Stiles and puts a hand over his. “She changed in front of you?” 

“She did. I thought I was seeing things. She stared me down with red eyes and around her mouthful of fangs, she promised to bring Claudia and my unborn baby back.”

“Oh, God,” Stiles breathes. “Did you know what she was?” 

“I wasn’t sure. I sat in that kitchen, watching Laura and Derek play happily and waited until she came back.” The Sheriff drags a hand over his face. “She didn’t break her promise. She brought you both back to me. Talia also promised no harm would ever come to you as long as she lived, and not that I thought it meant much, but I promised the same to her children.” 

“Which is why Derek is recovering in my bed.” 

“Yes. I found him slumped on the street, he’d only just made it out of the forest and collapsed.” The Sheriff peers over at the two of them. “First I want to know what’s wrong with Derek, then I want to know what the hell you two are to each other.” 

“He’s pack.” Derek sits up more, glancing down at his body. “I’ll be okay in an hour or so. The wounds from the Alpha fight have nearly healed.” 

“Sorry, what did you say about my son being pack?” 

“I’m pack,” Stiles murmurs. He glances at Derek then looks back to his father. “He’s our Alpha.” 

The Sheriff raises an eyebrow. “You’re not...” 

“No. I’m just a human, amongst the wolves, the banshee, the hunter.” 

“Not _just_ a human,” Derek says fiercely. “Never just a human.” 

“I agree with Derek. After we found out about them, the Hales explained how important a human could be within in a pack. Can I ask who else belongs to the pack?” 

“Scott, Erica, Boyd and Isaac are all werewolves, Derek’s sister Cora just came back to town, Allison and Lydia. Maybe Peter?” 

Derek rolls his eyes. “He killed my sister. He’s not pack.” 

“It was Peter?” The Sheriff leans forward in his seat. “He killed Laura?” 

Derek nods silently. He glances at Stiles then focuses on the Sheriff. “Can I ask you something?” 

“Of course, Derek. What is it?” 

“Did I ever meet Stiles when we were young?” 

“Yes,” Sheriff says softly. He takes a deep breath and looks at Stiles apologetically. “When we found out Claudia was dying, Talia came to see her. You kids were with her at the time. Stiles was only young and didn’t fully understand what was going on. He saw his mom and your mom crying, and he wanted to comfort them. He tumbled off the couch in his haste and hit his head. You were sitting on the floor nearby and instinctively you picked him up, rested your hand over his forehead and took his pain. We were all shocked, especially your mother.”

Derek lets out the breath he’s been holding and hangs his head. “I knew it,” he says quietly. 

“What is it? What the hell are you muttering about?” Stiles moves up the bed to be nearer to Derek. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me any of this Dad.” 

“I bonded with you,” Derek says, he watches Stiles closely. “I sensed something when I met you. I’ve always been more protective of you than the others.” 

“What does that mean, Derek?” The Sheriff stands and moves closer to the bed. He squats down beside them and glances between Derek and Stiles. “You were struggling and fighting me all the way in here but the moment I laid you down here, in Stiles’ bed, you calmed. When I came back from moving the cruiser out of sight, you were totally passed out.” 

“It’s his scent,” Derek murmurs. “It provides me comfort. At first, I thought the protectiveness was because he was human but then I realized it felt like more than that.” 

“What does this mean for Stiles?” 

Derek shrugs. “I’ll always protect him, I want you to know that. Whatever else it could be is up to him.” 

Stiles gasps. “Are we talking about what I think we’re talking about?” 

Derek looks away, staring at the floor. His ears are going red. “Can we talk about this some other time?” 

“Please, yes. Do that,” Sheriff mumbles. He shakes his head and stands. “Derek and I will talk later but I’ll leave you two alone for this I think.” 

“Hey, Dad. Are you giving us your...blessing?” Stiles asks warily. “Isn’t that jumping the gun a little?” 

The Sheriff looks at Derek for a long moment. “No. I don’t think it is,” he says seriously. “Am I right, Derek?” 

“If that’s what Stiles wants,” Derek says roughly. “It’s his choice.” 

“Oh. My. God,” Stiles cries. “This can’t be happening. I finally get someone like Derek Hale in my bed, and my dad is talking about it like it’s nothing.”

The Sheriff hides a smile. “Looks like this was always going to happen. I just wish it was when Stiles was older.” 

“Me too, Sheriff, me too.” Derek gives Stiles a grin. “Things don’t always go to plan when Stiles is involved.”

“I know, Derek. Welcome to the family,” Sheriff says with a smile.


End file.
